If you’re studying in the UK and need to find a place to live, you’ve probably got lots of questions about where to start. How much should I pay for student accommodation? What type of accommodation should I choose? Are there any hidden fees that I should be aware of? We’ll answer all these questions and more as we take an in-depth look at how to find your ideal student accommodation.
Now comes the last part of your study abroad journey – Student accommodation. By now, you must have selected your university, secured an education loan and applied for a bunch of scholarships. Now it’s time to find your perfect student accommodation. I won’t sugarcoat it. Finding a student accommodation can be a tricky task if you are doing it all on your own. So, let me help you. I’ve listed down some of the main factors that will make your student accommodation the perfect fit for you. Let’s get started!
How To Find Your Ideal Student Accommodation In Liverpool
- Consider your budget: The cost of renting off-campus student accommodation London varies widely depending on the location, the size of your room, and whether you share with others or not. It’s a good idea to have a rough figure in mind before looking at places.
- Check the location: You’ll want to make sure that your new place is close enough for you to easily get to classes and other important campus buildings like libraries or laboratories without spending too much time travelling or having issues with transportation on campus.
- Size and amenities required: Many factors go into determining what size home will be best suited for your needs like Do I want my own bathroom? Is it just me living alone? How many roommates do we plan on having? How much space do they need? Will we need an extra room for parties/storage/etc.? These questions can help determine whether renting an apartment, house share or even living with family members is going to work best for everyone involved!
Find A Flatmate
Finding a flatmate through a shared house website can be an easy way to find someone who shares similar interests, hobbies, and work schedules. You may also want to consider posting an advert on your university’s notice board or asking friends if they know of anyone who is looking for a place to live in the area. Once you’ve found someone suitable, both parties must agree on whether cleaning duties are split evenly or shared fairly between everyone living in the house.
Book Early
Booking early is a good idea. If you find the perfect property or one that’s at least pretty good, it can be hard to get a place if you wait too long. If lots of people are looking for student accommodation Coventry same area and at the same time as you, there might not be room left when your search ends.
- If booking early means getting accepted into your preferred house or flat before someone else does, then hopefully that student will back out of their contract so they don’t have to pay cancellation fees when they find somewhere else instead – which leaves space for another person who wasn’t accepted right away but was still interested in living there!
- In order to get the best deals on rent during peak times like May/June and September/October, it’s wise not just because this gives you time off from studying anyway–but also because many landlords slash prices by as much as 30% off their usual monthly rates during these periods because demand is so high from other tenants trying to avoid paying full price during those busy months.
Resorting To An Agent? Remember The Fees
Agents charge a fee. If you’re already paying through the nose for your university fees, then it’s probably not a good idea to pay an agent’s fees on top of that. However, agents can be useful if you are a first-time student or don’t have much experience in finding accommodation. Agents can also help you find accommodation in a hurry if there’s some kind of deadline looming and they know where all the best deals are.
Furnished Or Unfurnished
You can rent either furnished or unfurnished accommodation. Furnished accommodation is more expensive, but you don’t have to buy furniture. Unfurnished accommodation is cheaper, but you will need to buy furniture for your room. You could also choose to rent furniture from the landlord if you want that luxury.
Safety Must Be A Priority
You can live in a magnificent penthouse that has all the luxuries you could ever dream of, but you won’t sleep well at night if you don’t feel safe in your student accommodation. 73% of students claimed that the security of their accommodation was very important to their student experience. Make it a point to ask your accommodation provider about the security systems and whether there will be staff around to make you feel safe. Insist on burglar systems, fire alarms, key fob access system and 24/7 security staff.
Quality Matters
If you thought that the days of stuffy, old accommodations were behind us, think again. I’m here to tell you that these kinds of properties still exist. Make it a point to check out the property, either in person or virtually. There are a lot of high quality student accommodations that are priced reasonably. Moreover, these properties provide a variety of services like rooms clean ups, laundry services, on-site maintenance and much more.
Staying Connected
The importance of the internet cannot be underestimated. The onset of the pandemic has forced many top universities in the world to shift to online learning. Moreover, most students prefer to study from the comfort of their own room. This is why it is essential that your student accommodation is equipped with a speedy internet connection.
Think About The Bills
You may come across an advertisement for a student accommodation at £500 a month in London and think you’ve landed the deal of a lifetime. But if you have massive heating, shared water, broadband, electricity, phone and gas usage you will need to cough up a lot more than just £500 a month for your accommodation. Ensure that your accommodation comes with all-inclusive utility bills so that you don’t have to shell out more money for utilities. The cost will be included in your rent itself.
Legitimacy
We keep hearing stories of students falling into the trap of entering rental agreements that aren’t legally-binding and that give them no protection if anything goes wrong. Be wary of landlords who rush you into signing bogus contracts. Do not rush into putting pen to paper. Have a good read through all the terms and have someone you trust check it out for you too. If you’re uncomfortable with any of the terms, or have a sense that something isn’t quite right, you should probably go with your gut.
Conclusion
Once you have found your student accommodation, it is important to understand the terms of the contract. Make sure you read them properly and get your doubts cleared with the landlord way in advance. Hope you’ve found this article useful in your search for off-campus student accommodation.
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